The 'Overwatch' development team evaluated Korean players not just as a large user base, but as a community that has directly influenced the game's meta and balance. As representative examples, they cited the past GOATS meta, the introduction of Role Queue, and the return of Open Queue, while recently highlighting Winston, who showed uniquely high effectiveness in Korea compared to other regions. The trend of strategies originating in Korea spreading to other regions is also something the development team continuously monitors.

On the second day of Overwatch Day in Busan, Walter Kong, Head of the 'Overwatch' Franchise; Ben Bell, Executive Producer; and Aaron Keller, Game Director, attended a joint press interview. Walter Kong oversees the long-term strategy and future of the overall franchise, Ben Bell manages overall production spanning the game, development team, and fan community, and Aaron Keller is in charge of gameplay vision and direction.

On this day, the developers explained that the partnership with Nexon is not a simple service transfer, but a long-term strategy to expand the 'Overwatch' player base in the Korean market and listen to players' voices more closely. They also teased that after Season 4, two new heroes, new maps, and a Halloween event are in preparation. Below is a summary of the main Q&A session from the event.

What prompted the partnership with Nexon, and what was the background behind Blizzard feeling the need for collaboration?

Walter Kong: It goes back a few years. Around 2022, as 'Overwatch' was establishing itself as a live service game, we reviewed various strategic growth opportunities. Since Korea has had very strong support from players since the early days of 'Overwatch', it was a market with particularly high potential.

We examined ways to bring 'Overwatch' to more players with an open mind, and considered partnerships as a key option among them. When selecting a partner, we prioritized experience in live game operations, genre expertise, understanding of the Korean market and players, and experience collaborating with other companies. Nexon scored very high on these criteria.

Ultimately, this partnership can be described as a strategic decision to provide better service to existing 'Overwatch' players while expanding the player base for the future.

How important is Korea when looking at regional balance data? Is a region-exclusive balance patch just for Korea a possibility?

Aaron Keller: When adjusting balance, we examine a wide range of data. We look at play data by region, platform differences between PC and console, and player feedback passed along through the community team. We hold balance meetings multiple times a week.

Among them, Korea is always one of the regions we look into deeply on its own. This is because certain heroes might be more popular or show different win rates compared to other regions, and there are cases where metas or strategies that originated in Korea spread to other regions.

However, balance patches applied after reviewing all this data are basically applied globally in the same way. We do not try to apply different balance for each region. That said, separate adjustments are made when the play environment itself is different, such as on console or between 5v5 and 6v6.

Then are there any representative examples where the game actually changed because of a meta or playstyle created in Korea?

Aaron Keller: A prime example would be GOATS. It was the dominant playstyle for a considerable period, and it was one of the reasons the development team introduced Role Queue.

The interesting part is that afterwards, we received a lot of feedback from Korean players saying they missed Open Queue. Korean player feedback also influenced bringing Open Queue back to the game.

A more recent example is Winston. Over the past year, there was a period in Korea where Winston was used as an extremely popular and effective Tank hero, whereas the same phenomenon did not occur in other regions. It was interesting to see how effectively Winston was being utilized specifically in Korea.

Even in the recent World Cup or OWCS, it's been interesting to watch Jetpack Cat paired with various heroes like D.Mon, Bastion, and Cassidy. Top players creating these creative strategies is a positive element both in terms of viewing enjoyment and interest in esports.

Like Winston or Mauga in the examples, and the high pick rates for Support heroes like Mercy or Juno in the US, how does the development team analyze why the meta varies by region?

Aaron Keller: Looking closely at the Korean region, I think there is a strong tendency to play 'Overwatch' with a particularly competitive mindset. Players value practicing to get better and approach the game seriously to win.

When it becomes known that a certain hero is more effective, many Korean players quickly shift to that hero and practice to master them. While you see this phenomenon at high skill tiers in other regions as well, looking at global players as a whole, there are many casual players who just want to come home after work and enjoy the game itself. In those cases, they tend not to actively follow the meta or latest trends as much as Korean players do.

D.Mon received two quick buffs right after release. How do you view D.Mon's current standing and future balancing direction?

Aaron Keller: We are very pleased with D.Mon's current standing. When releasing new heroes, our philosophy is to introduce them in a sufficiently competitive state rather than launched underpowered.

When D.Mon was first released, we quickly realized she was not as strong as intended. So we applied the first adjustment the very next day, and adjusted her once more within the same week.

I think she is in a very appropriate spot in the current season. However, moving into Season 5 and Season 6, additional adjustments may be made. A relatively large seasonal balance patch is also scheduled in a few weeks, and personally, I think one of the adjustments applied to Jetpack Cat will be particularly interesting.

You emphasized listening to the voices of Korean players more closely through the collaboration with Nexon. Specifically, what changes will occur in game development?

Ben Bell: The ultimate goal of this partnership itself is to get closer to Korean fans. Because Nexon has deep experience and understanding regarding Korean players, we see this as an opportunity to listen to players' stories up close and understand what can make the game better for Korean players.

We want to be closer to fans in every region. In Korea, Nexon will be a huge help in that process. However, regarding specifically how changes will materialize, we consider ourselves in a learning and listening phase right now. We will be able to show more in the future.

Korean players who linked their Nexon accounts now find it difficult to play with overseas users. Are there plans in the future to offer global matchmaking or cross-region party play again for those with linked Nexon accounts?

Ben Bell: We've heard that feedback. When you link Blizzard and Nexon accounts, you play within a Korea-focused community. Through this, the goal is to provide an optimized experience for Korean players across overall service quality, as well as content and events.

While preparing for the partnership, we closely looked into how these changes would affect users. We also plan to continuously monitor matchmaking and match quality. Ultimately, the goal is to deliver a high-quality service focused on Korean players.

How will Nexon's operational expertise be utilized to create a smooth gameplay environment?

Ben Bell: Nexon would be able to answer detailed operational questions more accurately. However, having a partner focused on Korean users is in itself a huge help to Blizzard.

Nexon's help will be crucial in better understanding what is happening in-game and what discussions are taking place in the community, as well as figuring out which issues to prioritize. Specific details regarding customer support or day-to-day service operations can be further explained by Nexon.

An annual roadmap was announced earlier this year. What content can we expect in upcoming seasons?

Aaron Keller: There is still a lot to look forward to this year. Two new heroes are set to be added, and we are also preparing new maps.

'Overwatch's' first annual narrative arc is also currently at its midpoint. There are parts among the remaining stories to be revealed that fans will really love.

This year we are also trying more unique events than before. I don't want to spoil too much, but Season 5 has a really fun Halloween-related event lined up.

Will the collaboration with Nexon bring changes to the Korean 'Overwatch' esports ecosystem as well?

Ben Bell: Korea has always been an important region for 'Overwatch' esports. There are so many fantastic players, teams, and coaches.

While 'Overwatch' esports itself is a global sport, we look forward to developing more programs together with Nexon. We hope to build an environment where players of various skill levels can participate in esports and support the community from the grassroots level to create a larger, more vibrant competitive ecosystem.

We are curious if there are plans to regularize large-scale offline events held in Korea like this 'Overwatch Day'.

Walter Kong: Regarding large-scale events held in Korea, we will likely follow our partner's direction closely. Nexon will be able to answer more specifically about what events can be held in the future.

Nexon also holds various IPs. Can we expect skin collaborations between Nexon games and 'Overwatch' in the future?

Walter Kong: I cannot speak about specific planned collaborations. However, I believe collaborations are a great way to bring new enjoyment to different fanbases and allow fans to experience what they love inside 'Overwatch'.

We will continue seeking collaboration opportunities worldwide in the future. Among them, there could be collaborations that start in Korea and apply to 'Overwatch' globally, as well as collaborations targeted exclusively at Korean players.

If it is a collaboration tailored specifically to Korea, we will discuss closely with Nexon to find which opportunity fits best. The fact that collaborations will remain an important part of the 'Overwatch' gameplay experience will not change.

Finally, how does it feel to meet Korean fans in person again in Busan after 10 years?

Walter Kong: Both yesterday and today have been immensely enjoyable experiences. We held the 'Overwatch Festival' in Busan in 2016, and Korean players have continued to show tremendous support ever since. Looking back at the history of 'Overwatch', I feel we have built the game together with Korean players. Personally, this is my first time visiting Busan, but from the perspective of 'Overwatch' as a game, returning here after 10 years feels special.

Ben Bell: Through the fan signing session, I was able to hear players' personal stories directly. Hearing firsthand why they play 'Overwatch', what they love about the game, and what relationships and connections they've built through it is extremely important to us. I plan to take the inspiration gathered here back to share with the development team.

Aaron Keller: I still vividly remember the sight of fans streaming in endlessly when the venue doors opened yesterday. The energy and passion of Korean fans were truly impressive.

There is a reason why both D.Va and D.Mon, former professional gamers in the 'Overwatch' universe, are Korean. Globally, Korea has the image of being the hub of competitive gaming culture. Creating characters, locations, and events based on Korea is a great way to show the world the competitive gaming culture that 'Overwatch' embodies.